Sunday, August 22, 2010

This embroidered Uzbekistan organic geometric textile reminds me of my Vogue Rug... want to wind that project up by this September's end. You can read more about the embroidery and it's traditions here.

I'm drawn to things like this, I love it's wonderful wonkiness. I'm creating the same crazy in the Vogue... shapes not matching colours, not aligned, not anything expected but just it's own wonderful self. Like you!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Heaven... I'm in heaven,And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak.And I seem to find the happiness I seek,When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek.

I would just change dancing to dyeing or hooking. I had such an amazing experience watching my students expand and expand. What a blessing to see them do what they wanted to, living what they dreamed of doing. Creating what they desired. You could have this too if you wanted.

Through all the world there goes one long cry from the heart of the artist:

Give me leave to do my utmost.

That's what I'm in the business of here in my studio, giving my students or as I prefer to call them; my proteges, leave and aid and support to do their utmost, whatever that is.

Sometimes it is learning to create their own patterns from their own ideas. Sometimes it is doing their own dyeing for their whole rug. Sometimes it's tapping into their own marvelous creativity, WE all have it. People are such a wonder and a delight!

Last week we grew and spread and developed ways to achieve long held desires. Though these wonderful people sent my way last week worked with me one on one, this magic also happens when hookers come in groups on demand or join my classes that are preset 3 times a year.

Traditionally I hold a class the last week in June, keeping the cottage rental rates still in the off season, in September also off season, and the dye mentorship class is in October.

This year I decided to hold them close to one another so one could attend both so desired.

Here is the blurb from my web page:

Get Fired Up!

September 27 to October 1, 20109:30am til 4pm each day

Do you feel stuck in a rut? Come to Wandaworks and get fired up again about your artform.This week's class will help you go beyond expected outcomes. Work on a project of your choice.

Cost: $525

Dye Mentoring Class

October 4, 5 and 610:00 til 4 each day

Wanda will help you improve and refine your dyeing skills.You will never look back. All dyes and equipment are provided.

Cost: $350 You supply the wool.

I wish I could adequately explain the benefits of these small classes and private ones also. A hooker I've known for awhile was congratulating me yesterday on doing my own thing in this way. Not traveling as is expected but doing things to suit me.

I told her though I'm a bit of a poor traveller the real thing I want to do my way is to provide good instruction and care for my students, to gain understanding of what they want and eradicate as much frustration from the learning process as I can. I want to provide a rich, loamy, wet, hot- house atmosphere in which they can grow in their own direction, not in the direction I want to push them.

She related that many people say they are happy if they only learn one thing.

She felt that was a bloody expensive hope people arrive at camp with and they frequently don't even achieve that or achieve the lesser quality learning, the negative learning experience of going home knowing what you don't want to do.

That makes me say ARRRGHHHH. So frustrating for me and for the student.

She has a point.

Lots of us only want or desire a social experience from our rugging excursions and that is great but if you want to go beyond what you are doing now and have the time I'm your magic Wanda!

I have a few spaces in either class. You could expand both important aspects of your artistry.

Plan and develop a pattern, then dye for it!

Sounds incredible doesn't it?

Seize the day...

It is easy to get here from Toronto, Buffalo, Detroit airports.

It is a beautiful place.

I treat you like kings and queens and I never push for sales as so often happens.

I work with you for you. I collaborate, not dictate.

Nothing makes me happier!

Happy Wanda and Claude conclude their 4 day class, great talks + good eats + good laughs = great project! We dyed in the mornings for the project and work on the hooking in the afternoon, it is a masterpiece!

I received a question in our online design class in The Wanda Way Studio about where I find it appropriate to use my painterly approach. This references an article I wrote long ago for Rug Hooking.

In it I talked about using the natural light to dark rotation of the colour wheel to inform our shading, and various other way to understand what we do when we make something take "form" or use up 3-D space in our work.

This person asks me the most wonderful questions. This question asking is the greatest thing for me. It makes me think about things to a deeper level which I appreciate so much.

Dear Design Class Student

About my painterly technique ... I use it in everything I do.

I don't hang by techniques saying to myself now there is a place that I could use Joe McGillicuttie's stained glass style.

Yes, try new things, you will mostly find they are old, give them a whirl anyway because they have worked for eons. But don't let you work or your learning rest there. These bits of knowledge you are garnering ... accumulate them, accrue them put them away into a savings account. And when you are ready to blossom out with your own work spend them like MAD.

Using this "painterly" way and look out for that language, many instructors use it. Does the person's work look like painting? If not keep looking for proof of a deeper understanding of it.

It is something I do everywhere in everything. It is what comes out.

For instance there are millions of styles of painting, yet all are using a painterly way.

It is that way with hooking too. There are a million ways to represent something, which one comes out of you and how?

That's the one to be respected. After all we learn about basics at rug school we really have very little to hang onto when it comes time to stride into our own domain.

This is because we are learning the wrong basics. We are learning applications instead of foundations. We are learning to put on wall paper instead of how to build a good wall.

There are fundamentals to be learned in the art of visual representation, that is what we are learning and will continue to learn right here. This is the basis for all we will do. This is painterly as it's finest.

Learn these and you will never be bound by parameters again unless you want to be.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

A trip that is presented backwards- Me back home on the deck with Birdee!

You'll have to forgive the getup, parts of the trail out are pretty rocky and I had to be dressed for it.

Tobermory Harbour

At the grotto

The Grotto

Looking out and down

A rocky beach just before the grotto, look at the colours!

The shore line east of the grotto

Cyprus Lake

Okay... here is man at the grotto... look into the background, do you see that guy on the cliff edge? A millisecond later he jumped off the edge, even though there are many signs asking people not to jump in. They even point out 2 people have died doing just this.

What's up with that?

It made me wonder if we all have things like that in our lives we need to do even though the signs are pointing otherwise.

The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.C. S. Lewis